Six South Texas county judges joined Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Jim Wright and groundwater and surface water conservation officials on Monday, April 6 at the Goliad Memorial Auditorium to address worsening drought conditions and the long-term water outlook.
Bee County Judge George “Trace” Morrill, who was among the panelists speaking at the “Water Town Hall” event, said his county faces many of the same concerns as others in South Texas, particularly as regional surface water supplies continue to decline.
Morrill said Bee County relies heavily on the regional City of Corpus Christi water system, which has experienced prolonged low levels and is now exploring opportunities to obtain water from other counties in the region.
According to Morrill, the record-low levels of Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi have greatly affected his county’s water supply.
“We pull water from the river between Choke Canyon and (Lake Corpus Christi) and it’s been dangerously low for a long time,” Morrill said. “The City of Beeville has done a good job. They’re working on some brackish water wells.”
Morrill said local officials are working toward alternative water sources, though those projects come at significant cost.
“They’ve got brackish water wells that they’re drilling right now,” Morrill said of the City of Beeville. “I think the plan is to develop a full size RO (reverse osmosis) system. Everybody likes to hear that we will have alternative sources of water. The reality is that the best solution for all of South Texas is a very, very wet tomorrow, next week, next month.”
Morrill emphasized that groundwater development remains the most practical option for many rural communities despite financial challenges.
“Groundwater for those that are landlocked is the reasonable solution,” Morrill said. “But it’s incredibly expensive.”
Morrill said the economic burden of developing new water supplies is particularly difficult for smaller counties with limited tax bases. He added that maintaining smaller rural water development corporations is becoming increasingly unsustainable.
“Over the past five or six years, Bee County has directed millions and millions of dollars to these small water development entities in order for them to be maintained, meet the requirements they have from TCEQ, and to be able to simply get water to come out of the faucets of their customers,” he said.
Morrill warned that without stronger statewide coordination, competition for water resources will likely intensify. He said counties have limited authority to control water development and must rely on state leadership for broader solutions.
“There is not a lot that counties can do,” he said. “One of the biggest concerns Bee County has is part of the Corpus Christi plan is to drill wells that are pretty close to our county border. We can’t tell San Patricio County what to do and we’re not trying to. But it’s a concern.
“As long as we’re assured that we have water, everything else is okay,” Morrill said. “The reality is all of us have to fight for that. And we’re fighting against everybody else.”
Other other county judges on the panel were Mike Bennett (Goliad), Gigi Poynter (Refugio), Daryl Fowler (DeWitt), Ray Garza (Aransas), and David Krebs (San Patricio).